What I was Trying to Do
by E. Limberg
Summary: MS. After finally convincing Stella to spend the night with him, Mac ends up taking a job as head of the lab in LA without consulting her. They get in a big fight, and he moves out there, only to discover how much he misses her. Will he make things right?
1. Losing Track of Time

**What I was Trying to Do**

**Chapter 1: Losing Track of Time**

"_I can take the rain on the roof of this empty house_

_That don't bother me_

_I can take a few tears now and then and just let them out_

_I'm not afraid to cry every once in a while_

_Even though going on with you gone still upsets me_

_There are days every now and again I pretend I'm okay_

_But that's not what gets me"_

A hand on her arm makes Stella jump. "What are you doing back here? I thought you were cooking tonight."

"You need to get a watch, Stella. I did cook dinner but my date is an hour and a half later than the time she said she'd be over," Mac pulls her up on her feet.

"No, it's not. You're joking; there's no way it's eight already," she looks at her watch and gasps. "It is. Mac, I'm so sorry for standing you up."

"I understand; work is just more important to you than I am," he turns and starts to leave, just to annoy her.

"You know that's not true. And it's not like you've never gotten so caught up in work and forgot about a date."

"Okay, we're even then," he focuses on her again.

She smirks and crosses her arms. "Three and one are not equal numbers, Mac."

"I was never an hour and a half late."

"No, the one time you didn't even show up."

"I did too go to the restaurant," he argues. "You're the one who wasn't there."

"I left after sitting there for two hours, waiting for you to come."

"Let's just leave this alone and go eat the dinner I made."

Sighing, she gives in, "Only if you really mean we won't be talking about it ever again."

"Promise. From now on, we're both going to try harder to make more time for each other and not get caught up in work," Mac kisses her lips, hands resting on her waist.

"I'm sorry I forgot our date. I love you," Stella whispers, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"You're not late yet; we still have all night to spend together."

"We've only been dating for three months; it's still too soon," she frowns.

"We don't have to sleep together to spend the night together, do we? I know you're still… uneasy after Frankie came after you," he rubs her back to soothe her, knowing she doesn't like to even mention his name.

"I trust you completely. You'd never do that to me or anyone else. But I still think it's too soon since we started dating, not too soon after the attack."

"As long as we need to wait. You mean the world to me, Stel, and I can't lose you."

She moves out of his arms and closes the files on her desk before putting them in her bag. "I'm starving. What did you end up making?"

"That's a surprise," Mac smiles, helping her with her jacket.

"Did you sample your cooking to make sure it's edible?" she teases.

"No."

"Maybe we should stop and get something just in case."

"I'm sure it's fine," he takes her hand and they walk out of the empty lab holding hands. "And if it's not, I've got plenty of ice cream in the freezer."

**MS  
**

Stella leans back against Mac's strong chest, leaning her head back to allow him to kiss her neck. Gently he tilts her head so he can kiss her lips. "I love you," he whispers in her ear, kissing behind it. "How was your dinner?"

"Fantastic. I ate too much."

"I guess we're not having dessert tonight."

"Detective Taylor!" she turns around in his arms. "We've already discussed this."

"How long did you go out with Frankie before…?"

"Three and half months."

"If you think about it, we may have been seeing other people but we still flirted. At least ten years of it. You could say we've been dating those ten years, or at least half of them."

"Are you that desperate?" she chuckles and kisses him deeply.

Mac's tongue makes its way into her mouth as he guides her to the bedroom. Her legs hit the bed, and she falls backward onto it, taking him with her. "Stella, don't do this just for me if you don't want it too," he whispers.

In response, she flips him onto his back and climbs on him, unbuttoning his shirt.

**A/N: This has five more chapters to it. I'll post the next one probably Thursday. So I have an emergency: there's not very much paper in my notebook and we don't have any other big notebooks for me to use. If I use every single possible space on every page, including going back and using only half written on pages, I should be able to fit the story I'm writting now in there. Then I don't know what I'll do. I can't ask my mom to go buy some because she'll want to know why I need them when school is over. I could use a binder I guess, and put paper in it. We could run out of paper though. I have to go finish packing for my friend's sleepover birthday party. And I want to finish the chapter I fell asleep while writing last night. And I have to find something to do for a half an hour at karate tonight; I don't feel like starting my summer reading yet. We have to read My Antonia, Huckleberry Finn, and To Kill a Mockingbird. We read To Kill a Mockingbird last year in English, but I'll probably read it again. It was one of the better books we had to read for school. If only the new NY book would come today, then I could wait another week. It seems like I had something else to say but I can't remember... oh well. Tell me what you think so far. **


	2. Questiong the Relationship

**Chapter 2: Questioning the Relationship**

"_What hurts the most_

_Was being so close_

_And having so much to say_

_And watching you walk away_

_And never knowing_

_What could have been_

_And not seeing that loving you_

_Is what I was trying to do"_

"How are things going with Mac?" Lindsay asks as they process their victim's clothes.

"Great," Stella smiles, not really surprised to hear her ask. They hadn't told the team they were dating, but they made no effort to hide it either.

"How long has it been now?"

"Three months."

"Why wasn't I told you two are dating?" Danny, running fingerprints at the computer in the room, asks, turning toward the women.

"Mac and I never told anyone."

"How does Lindsay know then?"

"I'm more observant than you are, Danny," Lindsay smirks.

"If I 'm not observant, maybe I should quit this job." The girls look at each other and laugh. "Have you two… you know… yet?"

Stella frowns, "That's between Mac and I."

"Then I'd say you have."

"I never said we did."

"Well, if you hadn't, you would have said so," Danny theorizes.

"Why do you want to know if Mac and I have slept together?"

"'Cause I want to know if you'll be having a Danny Jr. crawling around in a few months."

"Never in a million years!"

"You and Mac aren't going to have kids?"

"I don't know; we haven't really talked about that yet. I meant we would never name our kids after you, Danny," she pulls her gloves off.

He pouts, "C'mon, Stel; after all I've done for the two of you, and you can't even name a kid after me."

"If you get that look off your face, I might suggest Daniel as a middle name if we have kids. Excuse me; I have to go talk with Mac," Stella opens the door to leave.

"Wait, you never said if you and Mac have done it yet." The three people within hearing range in the hall all look anxiously toward her, listening for gossip topics.

"Tell the whole lab, why don't you?"

"Glad to do so. But I need to know whether you have or haven't so I'm not passing false information," Danny smiles.

"How can you think of them like that? Now, I've got that image stuck in my head thanks to you." Lindsay covers her eyes.

"So what if we've had sex?"

"Is that why you get special privileges that the rest of us get yelled at for doing?" he calls after her but she ignores him.

Stella enters Mac's office. "Hey, Mac."

He turns around in his chair and motions to the phone in his hand with a small smile in greeting to her.

"Sorry," she mouths, sitting on the couch. While he finishes up his conversation on the phone, she flips through a science journal he had lying on the table.

A few minutes later, Mac hangs up and turns to her. "What do you need, Stel?"

"Danny and Lindsay know we slept together."

"We didn't even tell them we were dating. How'd they find out?"

"We weren't really hiding it; everyone but Danny knew. And then when he found out, he kept asking questions."

"Did you ask him about Lindsay then?"

"No, she was in the room. So who were you talking to?" she leans forward, resting her elbows on her thighs and chin in her hands.

"LAPD. They're looking for someone to take over their lab," he sits next to her. "My name was on their list of candidates."

"Darn it. I really wished it was a road trip," she fakes disappointment.

"Stel, I… I accepted the job offer. I'm moving to LA."

"You what?" Stella gasps.

**A/N: Mac is going to get it now. I forgot to credit the song as Rascal Flatts last time. Anyway... tomorrow is my birthday. Only twenty-two hours and fourty-five minutes until I'm fifteen. But I'm not getting very many presents because no one can find anything to get me. Two-thirds of the presents at the party Saturday will be my brother's; his birthday is Monday. What else can I say... nothing really. I got the new NY book. It doesn't sound like anything happens to Stella in this one after being sick and getting stalked in the other two. And the guy like skipped a whole year in time because this one takes place after the bombing in the end of season two. I need to go write and finish my story, but I don't feel like it. I'm kinda stuck for the next two chapters. But the way I'm doing it, I can't just skip these chapters. Mac and Stella get stuck in the AV lab when the power goes out. So they're in there for the whole weekend, and instead of doing every hour, I decided to do a chapter for every three. There's only so much that can happen. Well... I'm going to go read probably, maybe write if an idea hits me. I probably won't update tomorrow or Saturday unless I get lots of reviews from you guys. **


	3. Feeling Left Out

**Chapter 3: Feeling Left Out**

"_It's hard to deal with the pain of losing you everywhere I go_

_But I'm doing it_

_It's hard to force that smile when I see our old friends and I'm alone_

_Still harder_

_Getting up, getting dressed, living with this regret_

_But I know if I could do it over_

_I would trade, give away all the words that I saved in my heart_

_That I left unspoken"_

"I'm going to be in charge of the crime lab for the biggest city in the US," Mac touches her cheek, and she pulls out of his reach.

"New York is the biggest city, Mac. You're in it now; why leave? Get back on the phone and tell them you're not moving," she demands.

"It'll be a long time before I get a promotion here. In LA, I'll make more money, have stable hours, no enemies, at least for a little while. I'm going to go, Stel; you can't change my mind."

"You didn't even talk to me about it!"

"It's my decision to make. You aren't involved in it just because you're my best friend," he starts to lose his patience.

"Excuse me for thinking we were more than friends after what's happened these past three months. If we are only best friends, why have we been going out or kissing or… acting like we're in an intimate relationship? Was last night a mistake, Mac? I thought you loved me too but I must have been imagining it," Stella desperately tries to mask the tears forming in her eyes.

"I do love you, Stel. You're the most important thing in my life," he reaches out to her again.

She crosses her arms, "Why are you leaving me then?"

"Come with me. They wouldn't deny someone with your training a job."

"I like what I do here. If I go with you, I'll have to start at the bottom ranks again and work my way back up. Why have to go through all that again when I can stay right where I am, maybe move up, here?"

"Maybe there's something else you want to do besides CSI work. You could try that."

"When you took this job, you probably forgot all about me. How could you after everything we've been through together? You're selfish, Mac Taylor!"

"If you had been thinking of something besides what you wanted, you would not have had to kill Frankie," Mac says furiously.

"Don't you dare bring that up. I killed him to protect myself."

"See? Always thinking of yourself before others."

"Who helped you after Claire died? I did. For weeks I spent every second of everyday with you. And what have I gotten in return? Nothing," Stella yells.

"I'm sorry I forgot about you," he apologizes, really meaning it. "But I'm still moving. You decide whether you're coming with me or not."

"Sorry won't work, Mac," she shakes her head, voice softer. "You can't forget someone you truly love that easily. Last night I was sure you loved me; now I'm not so sure. My feelings for you haven't changed."

"Then why are you so angry at me for taking the job?" he asks, completely lost.

"You forgot I existed. And I was right there in front of you!"

"I don't think this relationship is going to work, Stella."

"Last night was amazing, but I regret it now. Good luck in LA, Mac. Bye," she kisses him one last time.

"Bye, Stel," Mac whispers.

Danny enters. "What's going on here?"

"Nothing, Danny. We've got to finish this case," Stella wipes the tears from her cheeks on her sleeve. "I'm going to… um… see if Lindsay found anything on the vic's clothes."

"What did you do to her?" Danny demands.

"Nothing."

"Why was she crying? Stella doesn't cry over nothing, Mac; it takes a lot to break her."

"I'm moving to LA. I got a job offer there."

"You just lost her; she was the best thing in your life and now she's gone. Once you're gone, don't come back, or you'll have more than Stella mad at you."

**A/N: I have band tomorrow. I really don't want to go, except I want to know what we're playing, especially for contest but we probably won't get that until August. My birthday was okay; I got lots of clothes, money, gift cards for Barnes and Noble, a Wizard of Oz bracelet, a watch with my dog (well, the breed she is: Australian Shepherd) on it, movies, and... a Nintedo DS and games. And my cell phone. Apparently my mom has no objection to paying two and a half dollars for me to download a ringtone. She keeps asking me whether I changed it yet. I don't know what song to do though, because she still doesn't know about the illegal downloading of like Nickelback and Daughtry and other non-country stuff. Or fanfiction for that matter (writing it). So... my cake was really cute. It had Mumble from Happy Feet on it; kind of odd for a fifteen year old but... my family seems to think I'm obsessed with him. My friends probably thought we are crazy because we had my cake, cupcakes for my brother, a German chocolate cake for my grandpa (that's normally what my cake is but I decided to do a regular cake this year), and three apple pies. My one grandma made me one, then the other one comes walking in with two. So we have a lot of leftovers. I'm still stuck on my writing; one sentence written of chapter fifteen before falling asleep. And it'll be twenty chapters. Out of seven times this week, I only saw Providence three times; and every time I watched it, I think I missed at least the first five minutes. I'll post again Tuesday maybe. Oh, NY is not on this week. Tanglewood I think is on Spike tomorrow night and Blood, Sweat, and Tears Wednesday. I think I have band early Thursday morning though. But I got enough money to buy them both off of Amazon and only have to add like twenty other dollars. **


	4. Regretting Previous Decisions

**Chapter 4: Regretting Previous Decisions**

"_What hurts the most_

_Is being so close_

_And having so much to say_

_And watching you walk away_

_And never knowing_

_What could have been_

_And not seeing that loving you_

_Is what I was trying to do"_

"Taylor," the police chief enters Mac's office. "You're doing a great job here so far."

"Thank you, sir."

"We thought you might have some problems adjusting from field work, but I guess not. The lab is more organized with you and the techs seem to get things done as fast as possible, maybe because they're not sure what you'll do to them if they don't. Miss anything from NYC?"

"Definitely not the field work; going out in blizzards, freezing temperatures, rain, even the extreme heat was terrible. Now I have more paperwork, but that's all I do most of the time so it doesn't accumulate like before," Mac avoids mentioning the thing he misses the most.

After so many years with Claire gone, he had forgotten what is was like to be loved, to have someone to come home to. Stella had given him a second chance at love, but he had messed it up. Although he did miss her love, he longed for someone to be close to again, someone who can make him laugh and smile, that is there for him whenever. Mac just wanted Stella back.

"Keep up the good work," the chief leaves with a nod.

Before picking up the phone on his desk, he looks around to make sure no one is watching him; he isn't sure why he is so cautious when he isn't doing anything wrong. After dialing half her phone number, a voice in his head stops him. _Hang up, you idiot. She won't take you back. You hurt her; you're no better than that Frankie was._ He listens to the voice and puts the phone down.

_Stella loves you, Mac. She misses you too. Just call her, apologize; maybe she'll take you back,_ a different voice says in his head.

_You tried to apologize to her before, and she wouldn't accept it. What would have changed in a month apart? Besides, a long distance relationship would never work._

Mac looks at the clock and realizes it is after nine in New York, too late to call. _Maybe tomorrow._

**MS**

"Lindsay, can I talk to you? In private, woman to woman?" Stella asks nervously, interrupting the guys' argument over football.

"Sure, Stel. Why don't we go to your office?" the younger woman follows her to her office. "What do you want to talk about?"

"I… I think I'm… pregnant."

"How… you and Mac have been apart for over a month. Unless you've been with someone else since then."

"No. No, if I am, it's definitely Mac's. I'm more than a week late."

"Do you have tests? I'll help you find out if you want; just because Mac left you doesn't mean the rest of us will," Lindsay takes her hand.

"I went to the store a couple days ago and bought one of every kind they had. Check out lady thought I was crazy," Stella smiles weakly and motions to a bag beside her desk. "Let's get this over with."

Fifteen minutes later the tests are complete. "Ready?" Lindsay asks.

"I can't. You look at them and tell me," Stella turns around and paces the bathroom anxiously.

"Stel, you're going to have a baby."

"This can't be right. We used protection. Now what will I do?"

"No method of protection is one hundred percent effective. You'll get through this just fine and raise a healthy baby. Man, the kid's going to have an IQ of like five hundred," she laughs.

"What do I do about him? Should I tell him or… not let him know he has a child?"

"It's you choice. He left you and your baby, although he didn't know it. If he really cared about you, Mac wouldn't have left."

"You're right. It's not like he'll rush back here just because I'm carrying his child," Stella hugs Lindsay.

"What's goin' on in here?" Danny pokes his head inside the door.

"Want to tell him?" Lindsay whispers. She shakes her head. "You'll find out soon enough."

**A/N: Poor Stella. Hopefully Mac comes to her rescue soon. I've been busy typing all day, well most of the day. I have thirteen out of tweny chapters of the next story typed. Only about seventeen are written though. Have to get to work on the next couple. Nothing really going on here; it rained today and my dog hid in the closet. And I finished my birthday cake. Mumble the penguin was on my cake; I wouldn't let anyone eat the head because I wanted it, although it was mainly black, or chocolate, icing, which I don't like. So I go into the dining room this morning to see what's left and only the head is. And I mean only the head. Someone must have been very desperate for cake becase all the rest of his body was gone and the corners (it was originally a square piece) with the background white were gone. And my mom ate the rest of the German chocolate cake so now I have to eat pie I guess since we still have two of them. Band yesterday wasn't very exciting. We're playing these random rock songs I've never heard of for football shows. We won't get contest music until August. I should probably practice. And I need to start summer reading. So there's two more chapters to go; I'll post Thursday or Friday, then Saturday or Sunday. Please continue to review. Thanks.**


	5. Coming Back to Apologize

**Chapter 5: Coming Back to Apologize**

"_What hurts the most_

_Is being so close_

_And having so much to say_

_And watching you walk away_

_And never knowing_

_What could have been_

_And not seeing that loving you_

_Is what I was trying to do"_

Mac leans against the apartment door, trying to work up the courage to enter. He is nervous at what her reaction will be when she sees him back New York. After leaving her, he is sure she won't take him back. In the month and a half they have been apart, she could've already moved on.

Taking the chance, he unlocks the door with the key she gave him. The apartment is dark when he enters so he turns on the hallway light. Looking around, Mac finds not much has changed except all the pictures and other reminders of him are missing. _Leave now, Taylor. Go back to Los Angeles before she ever knows you're here. Stella doesn't love you any more, _the voice in his head tells him.

_I have to know for sure. I need her, but if she doesn't love me, I'll go and leave her be. She deserves to be happy, _the more logical part of him says.

Silently Mac closes the door and makes his way inside. Nervously he looks around for a sign that she's moved on but finds none. Slowly he walks to her bedroom, still looking around her apartment. When he sees her lying in her bed asleep, his breath catches; even though she is dressed in a t-shirt and he assumes pajama pants, clearly not expecting anyone to see her, he still finds her incredibly beautiful.

He makes his way to her bed, trying to resist his urge to wake her up and apologize to her right now. Softly he brushes the curls out of her face, running his hand through her hair repeatedly. Surprisingly it isn't tangled, as one would expect by looking at it, but soft and smooth. He moves his hand from her hair and gently strokes her cheek. To his surprise, she still doesn't awaken; then again, Stella always was a heavy sleeper.

"I'm so sorry, Stel. I made a mistake leaving you. You don't have to take me back, but I… I really do miss you," Mac whispers. He leans down and kisses her cheek. "I love you."

Going back to the living room, he decides not to sleep next to her so as not to scare her to death when she wakes up and finds a man in her bed. Before lying down, he takes off his shoes and socks. Tiredly he falls asleep, dreaming about Stella.

**MS**

Much to her annoyance, her alarm goes off promptly at six o'clock, waking her up much too early, or at least in her opinion. She uncovers her arm and slaps the clock to shut it off. As Stella rubs her eyes, her nose detects an unusual smell. It kind of smells like… something is burning.

Quickly she gets out of bed, grabbing her robe as she leaves her bedroom. When she steps into the kitchen, she freezes in shock. "Why… what… Mac…" she stumbles, not sure what or how she should feel seeing him again.

"Did I wake you? I didn't mean to; the pancakes just got a little burnt," Mac holds a black pancake up.

"Get out of my apartment."

"I don't have anywhere else to go."

"I don't care; that's your own fault. Why don't you go back to LA then? It doesn't matter to me where you go as long as you get away from me. Get out now, or I'll call security," she threatens, pushing him to the door.

He grabs her wrists. "I miss you. Just let me apologize and then decide if you really don't love me. Stop struggling with me, or I'll tie you down until you hear what I have to say."

"I'll arrest you if you lay another hand on me," Stella pulls out of his grasp.

"Please, Stel. Just hear me out. All I want is for you to listen to me. I'll go after I'm done if you honestly don't love me anymore," Mac says sincerely.

"Mac, I… I'm pregnant."

**A/N: Well at least he's trying to make things right; Stella's just too stubborn. I'll post the last chapter Saturday or Sunday. Today I got to go to the doctor and I got two shots. Then I go back at the beginning of August and then again four months from then to go more shots; they have something to prevent some kind of cancer (I wasn't really listening to the explanation) that take three shots. I just looked on ebay, then on Amazon, and now is the time to get the NY DVDs. They have them for forty dollars each on Amazon, plus shipping. Then on ebay they have sets for like sixty dollars and you get both; and shipping is free. I'll still have birthday money left, which means I can convince my mom to go back to Target so I get Bones for twenty dollars. Hm... I really want them, but I don't know. Anyway, I have to go back to band later. Three hundred people packed into this little room so we can all play together; nope, not all that fun. I heard our contest show theme is Superheros. So there'd be like a Superman, Batman, and Spiderman songs, one for each. Normally there's four songs, unless they're really long. What would the other one be? I was hoping we would do Phantom of the Opera. Darn. Well, it's storming here. I need to go because my mom just got home. Thanks.**


	6. Getting Back Together

**Chapter 6: Getting Back Together**

"_Not seeing that loving you_

_That's what I was trying to do"_

"You're what?"

"Pregnant with your child."

"No. It's not possible. I used protection. Stella…," Mac doesn't know what to do.

"I know you did. And it's still happening. Whether you help me raise this child or not is your choice," Stella goes back to the kitchen, leaving him standing there.

"You haven't listened to what I have to say yet," he follows her.

"I have to work, Mac. When I get home, I want your stuff out of here; get a hotel room because you're not staying with me. We'll have dinner somewhere, and you can talk then."

"Go get a shower. I'll make more pancakes, not burnt ones," he places a hand on her shoulder and gives her a small smile in gratefulness.

**MS**

"You look wonderful, Stel," Mac says, standing to help her sit down. As he leans over to kiss her cheek, she places a hand just below his neck to make him keep his distance.

"Please, don't touch me," she whispers.

Slightly confused, he says, "Okay." Obviously she was still oblivious to the fact that he had already done this while she was sleeping. "Order whatever. I'll pay."

"I should have just offered to cook; my stomach can't handle any of this right now."

Feeling responsible, he apologizes. "I'm sorry this happened to you. It was my job to keep you protected."

"It's fine, Mac," Stella reaches across the table to touch his hand. After they order, she asks, "What happened to that apology of yours you couldn't wait to tell me?"

"Stella, you deserve a man so much better than me. I loved you, still do, and it was a mistake to leave you for a stupid job on the other side of the country. I should have talked to you about it before deciding, and honestly I have no idea why I didn't. I'm an idiot; you meant he world to me, and I've probably lost you now. If you say you still love me, I'll move back here and help you raise the baby. If you don't, I'll be gone tomorrow morning and will leave you alone; just promise to send me pictures of the baby. I love you with all my heart, but it's your call." Tentatively Mac brings her hand to his lips to kiss it.

She squeezes his hand and smiles. "I do still love you. There's no way I could raise this child by myself."

"Thank you for giving me a second chance. I promise I won't ruin it," he wipes away a tear threatening to fall down her cheek. "I called you selfish; you have helped me through everything while I've given you nothing in return. I'm the selfish one, especially when I took the job and didn't ask you about it. I didn't mean to bring him up either. You did what you had to to make yourself safe. Please forgive me, Stel."

"We were just trying to find ways to hurt one another. Most of what was said wasn't true. I'm sorry too."

"You had every right to be mad. The whole fight was my fault," Mac pulls her up and gives her a big hug.

"I don't want you to ever leave my side ever again," Stella whispers, tears falling freely.

"I have to go back to LA, give them my two weeks notice and pack all my stuff to bring here again. But… why don't you take a week off and come stay with me before I come back? It's not like you do much at work anyway now that you're pregnant."

"Doctor's appointment next Tuesday. Guess I'm coming this week." After a quick kiss, they sit down to eat, or try to eat on her part.

"Are we going back to your apartment or my hotel room?" he asks, pulling out his credit card.

She smiles mischievously. "Never done it in a hotel room before."

**MS**

"It's safe for us to… with you pregnant, right?" Mac looks at her, concerned.

"Yes, it's fine. We just have to be cautious."

"Does the baby know what we're doing?"

"I don't know, Mac. You're ruing the mood," Stella complains.

"It shouldn't be hard to get back in the mood," he kisses behind her ear, fingers gliding over her bare arms.

She shivers and turns to face him. "Maybe we should go to my place. I forgot how unsanitary hotels are. At least in my bed, there won't be DNA of strangers on the sheets."

"With the money I'm paying to stay here one night, they had better wash the sheets. Is your ALS in the car? We can check."

"I think I'm better off not knowing."

"There's always the floor," he says, trying not to laugh.

She sits on the edge of the bed, pulling her heels off. He unbuttons his shirt and tosses it on the floor. Mac kisses her lips, moving their bodies to the center of the bed. "Ready to officially make up?"

Stella smiles, pulling him back down. "For the record, I didn't regret the last time. Actually, it was the best sex I've ever had. And the biggest accident in my life happened then too, but I think the three of us will be just fine."

He breaks the kiss, "I think he just kicked me."

"I didn't feel anything. Besides, it's only been a month and a half; it won't be kicking until three or four months."

"I'm pretty sure he kicked me."

"Maybe he doesn't like you," she laughs.

"What's not to like about me?"

"For one, you have no people skills…"

"I don't want to know the rest," Mac kisses her again.

"I missed you, Mac."

"I missed you too, Stel."

**A/N: Well it's over. So what did you think? I've got five more chapters to type of my next story; I think I'll start posting it tomorrow if I edit the beginning. You'll only get like three chapters though, then you'll have to wait until I come back, then get another three or so, then I'll be gone again, then you should get the rest. It'll be August before the whole thing is posted. I'm leaving for Alaska early, early Saturday morning, then we come back July tenth, then I leave around the fifteenth for my grandparents' house in Dayton. How can I go so long without fanfiction? I'm not sure if I'll bring my notebook on the cruise with me or not since my mom and I are together in a room and she doesn't know about the writing yet (I really should tell her). I've got lots of ideas for songs to use, but I can't think of anything to happen using them. I've only got one more idea without using a song, and I guess I could go through the ones I want to use and see if any of them fit. Except I don't have the one song; have to download it before we leave. And it seems like there's something else I wanted to get... don't remember now; I really should start writing things down. So I'll start the next story tomorrow probably. It's called Freezing Together so those of you who don't have me on alerts can look for that if you want to. Speaking of alerts, what's with the random emails saying when people put your story on alerts? If they're going to do that, they should do it for like all of them. And I don't really want them because I don't pay attention to who alerts my story; so many of you already have me on author alerts. And there's also something that asks about what characters are in your story. Why? I put most of them in my stories, although Mac and Stella are the main ones. Anyway... please tell me what you thought. Thanks for reading.**


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